Background

The play is loosely based on the murder of John Hossack, which Glaspell reported on while working as a news journalist for the Des Moines Daily News. Hossack's wife, Margaret, was accused of killing her husband. However, Margaret argued that an intruder had killed John with an axe. She was convicted but it was overturned on appeal.[1]

"...years later ... the haunting image of Margaret Hossack's kitchen came rushing back to Glaspell. In a span of ten days, Glaspell composed a one-act play, Trifles ... A year later, Glaspell reworked the material into a short story titled "A Jury of Her Peers."[2]

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Trifles Questions and Answers

“Trifles” are defined as things which have no value and are considered to be insignificant. Ironically, the men who are so determined to find convicting evidence look past the observations of their wives because they're seen as insignificant...

Minnie is her name. Minnie lost her identity when she married her overbearing husband. Referring to Minnie by her given name, gives her back a sense of self. It respects the person that Minnie was despite her marriage.

The play is set in rural America where neighbors are separated by miles. This rural isolation is an apt setting for the emotional and physical isolation that Mrs. Wright feels. Her abusive husband adds yet another layer of isolation that Mrs....